Toddler Maxi Dress and Shrug - Part 3 of 4 - Drafting the Shrug Pattern

Part 1 - Drafting the Dress Pattern

Part 2 - Sewing the Dress

Part 4 - Sewing the Shrug

I apologize to everyone who was waiting specifically for this part of the tutorial!  Life has been quite crazy and unsettling living in hotels, finding jobs and now looking for a home [I wish we could afford a house with a yard for the kids, but for now it will have to be an apartment].  I had my husband take the car to work today (instead of having me drop him off) so the kids and I are intentionally "stuck" at the hotel so I can give myself some time to write and complete the tutorial.  Finally!

I "cheated" on the shrug and didn't go straight from measurements to draft the pattern.  Instead, I took a dress of my daughter's that fit snuggly on top.  The shrug needs to be snug so it doesn't fall off easily.  I also used a knit fabric so it would be comfortable.

Once you have a garment that fits correctly to copy, lay it out on a piece of paper and mark the edges of the shoulder seam, side seam, and the center of the back neck.  You can very the length of the shrug depending on your desired style.  I made mine end at approximately mid-way down the back (or maybe a little above).  I also extended the shoulder seam a little bit towards the neck so it would fit closer than the dress does.   

Square a line down from the center neck and over to the side seam.

Draw straight lines for the side and shoulder seams. They will be at slight angles as shown below. You can extend the lines out so it's a little faster when adding seam allowance.

Draw the curves for the neckline and armhole. For the neckline you want it to be nearly straight across at the middle and curve up toward the shoulder. For the armhole you want most of the curve to be towards the bottom of the armhole. The closer you are to having the intersections of the lines 90 degree angles the smoother your connections will be when sewing. (Which is what you want)

Add seam allowance (I usually use 1/2 inch), fold line marker and labels. You will need one of these when cut on the fold. It is the back of the bolero.

Get a piece of tracing paper and place it on top. Trace the shoulder and side seams only.

Draw the armhole coming in further than the back piece. From about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch depending on the size of your child.

Next draw the edge of the shrug for the front. You can make it more or less curved as you desire, just make sure the corners on the shoulder and side seam are close to 90 degrees angles.

Add the seam allowance and labels, then you have the front of the bolero.

For the sleeve I went back to my daughter's dress for a guide. I layed it flat in half and marked the top, under arm point, and where I wanted the sleeve to end. I made it rather small because I knew I was going to add 1/2 inch hem and leave a raw edge. You can also measure on your child and estimate how long it would need to be to end where you want it.

Draw the lines to complete the sleeve. A straight line on the top of the sleeve, the very curved line on the armhole (draw it the same as the curve on the finished garment), and the slightly curved line on the bottom hem.

Cut out the sleeve without adding any seam allowance. Draw three (or more for a larger size) straight lines parallel to the top of the sleeve. Mine are about 1/2 inch apart. Don't add any close to the under arm portion of the sleeve.

Tape the sleeve to a piece of paper only on the top edge of the sleeve and cut on the line closest to it. Measure out 1" on the top and 1/2" on the bottom and tape down.

Repeat until you've done the same with every line and it looks like the photo below.

Draw curved lines as shown below, going down a little at the middle of the hemline.

Use another piece of tracing paper placed over the top to trace the new shape of the sleeve, add the seam allowance, labels and fold marker.

And there you have the pattern for the bolero. I didn't make a pattern piece for the ruffle as I just used elastic thread to gather a strip of fabric and wasn't sure how much it would take.

I will post the sewing tutorial next as the 4th and final installment of the tutorial. Woohoo!

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